Baltimore County School Board President's Term to End a Year Early

Earnest Hines, president of the Baltimore County Public Schools' Board of Education, will be replaced at the end of June—a year earlier than expected.

Shaun Adamec, a spokesman for Gov. Martin O'Malley, told Patch Tuesday that Hines' term will expire at the end of June.

"The governor has made the decision not to reappoint and to instead begin the process of replacing," Adamec said.

The decision comes as a surprise to some who believed that Hines' term had one more year left.

Hines, the board's current president, was appointed in 2007. His five-year term was expected to expire at the end of June 2012, according to Charles Herndon, a school system spokesman.

In a brief phone interview, Hines said he could not provide details of the change in his term.

"I don't know much about it," said Hines, who confirmed that he might be replaced at the end of June.

"I have no idea what they are doing or talking about," Hines said. "I don't know any details. I'm still trying to get my arms around it all."

Hines said he was working with the board's attorney.

"I'm waiting on the school board attorney to confirm it," Hines said.

Hines said he expects to be in Towson Tuesday afternoon when the County Council holds its hearing on the school board budget.

Adamec said Hines' term is up this year and acknowledged that a letter confirming his original appointment may have erroneously contained a term date that ended next year.

"It was little more than a typographical error," Adamec said. "Certainly we're not immune to those."

Adamec said the error was first discovered last year and that the school board was notified by a letter.

Hines will be the second board member to be replaced at the end of June.

On Friday, Meg O'Hare told Patch that she was informed by the governor that she also would not be reappointed.

O'Hare, in that interview, complained that in board appointments.

"The good ol' boys system is eager to get their hands on the school system," O'Hare said.

Adamec said that no replacement has been named for Hines or O'Hare.

"The process is just beginning," Adamec said, adding that he expected that replacements could be named by July. Both Hines and O'Hare could continue to serve beyond the end of their terms until replacements are named.

"Though it's always the goal to replace before the term ends," Adamec said.

Follow the County Council budget hearing for the Baltimore County Public Schools here on Patch beginning at 3 p.m.

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